Facebook’s parent company Meta has given poor performance reviews to thousands of employees. This has again raised the fears about another round of layoff in Meta.

The Wall Street Journal reported that in recent performance reviews, Meta rated over 7,000 employees as "subpar." According to the article, the parent firm of Facebook and Instagram also got rid of a bonus metric.

Low performance ratings may cause more employees to leave the organisation, a source told the WSJ. These negative ratings may be terrible news for Meta employees who worry that the business is planning another round of layoffs. Late last year, Meta let go 11,000 people, or 13 percent of its staff.

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“We’ve always had a goal-based culture of high performance, and our review process is intended to incentivize long-term thinking and high-quality work, while helping employees get actionable feedback.” a Meta’s spokesperson told WSJ.

Earlier this month in the company’s fourth quarter earnings release Meta’s CEO Mark Zuckerberg called 2023 the 'year of efficiency,' and said that the management is focused on becoming a stronger and more nimble organisation.

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Zuckerberg described the focus on efficiency as part of the natural evolution of the company, calling it a "phase change" for an organisation that once lived by the motto "move fast and break things."

"We just grew so quickly for like the first 18 years," Zuckerberg said in a conference call. "It's very hard to really crank on efficiency while you're growing that quickly. I just think we're in a different environment now."

Hinting towards more job cuts, Zuckerberg in the earnings announcement said “We may incur additional restructuring charges as we progress further in our efficiency efforts."

Further in the earnings call he added that Meta Platforms will cut some layers of middle management amid a companywide effort to reduce costs and increase “efficiency.

In November 2022, Meta said it was cutting more than 11,000 roles that is 13 percent of its staff. Zuckerberg took accountability for the decision and said the firm overhired during the COVID-19 pandemic amid predictions of continued surge of e-commerce. “I got this wrong, and I take responsibility for that,” he said.

The company in its earnings report noted that it spent over $3.7 billion on restructuring efforts in 2022. This included severance payouts for employees, as well as the early termination of some of its office leases and the consolidation of its offices.

Also read: Meta layoffs: Mark Zuckerberg hints at more job cuts, calls 2023 the ‘year of efficiency’